Moussa Diabate is day-to-day with a right elbow injury and has been ruled out of Friday's preseason finale against the Grizzlies. The Hornets will play their last tune-up before the regular season without him in the frontcourt.
What happened
The Hornets listed Moussa Diabate as day-to-day on Friday's 7:15 p.m. ET injury report with a right elbow injury. His previous status is not announced. The injury report states that Diabate has been ruled out for Friday's preseason finale against the Grizzlies due to the right elbow injury. An expected return date of Oct. 21 is listed on the report. No further detail on how the injury occurred is included in the report.
What it means for the Hornets
Charlotte closes out the preseason at the Grizzlies on Friday at 8:00 p.m. ET without Diabate, who averaged 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 26.0 minutes across 73 games last season. With him out of the frontcourt mix, minutes open up for Ryan Kalkbrenner, who has logged 21.4 minutes and 7.6 points per game, and Grant Williams, at 19.8 minutes and 7.0 points. The Hornets have not played a regular-season game yet this season, so there is no record with or without Diabate to point to.
What to watch
The next injury report will show whether Diabate's day-to-day elbow issue has changed before Charlotte's regular-season opener. His expected return is listed as Oct. 21 on the current report, which would put him back before that opener. Teammates Grayson Allen, Coby White, Kon Knueppel, Grant Williams and Kylan Boswell are also listed as day-to-day on the same report, so Charlotte's health will be a storyline heading into the season.
Is Moussa Diabate playing at Grizzlies?
No. The injury report has ruled out Diabate for Friday's preseason finale against the Grizzlies with a right elbow injury.
When will Moussa Diabate be back?
The injury report lists an expected return date of Oct. 21. No further timeline is announced.